The railway tunnels entering the construction site in 2021 postpone the completion of the highway for high-speed trains in western Romania
The most complex segment of the new railway line Simeria – Arad, in western Romania, will delay the completion of the works by at least another year, due to the difficulties encountered in the construction of the tunnels on the Mureș Valley.
The tunnels on the Mureș Valley. Photo: Daniel Guță. TRUTH
The shortest section of the Simeria – Arad railway line will also be the last to be completed, according to estimates recently published by CFR. The contract for works on Subtronson 2c, between Ilteu and Gurasada, with a length of 22 kilometers, was signed in December 2017, and the works started in the spring of the following year.
The work could take up to a decade
Approximately 15 kilometers of this route are built from scratch on the left bank of Mureș. From the “greenfield” section, a segment of about two kilometers aims to build a 35-meter pole complemented by a 305-meter tunnel (T0), a 610-meter tunnel (T1) and a tunnel of about 270 meters (T2), with more artwork on the distances between the tunnels and at their ends.
Work on the tunnels started in 2021, but is currently far from complete. According to recent reports published by CFR, on the 2c Ilteu – Gurasada sub-section some works have already been completed and put into operation.
The Ilteu and Câmpuri Surduc stations were modernized, with lines 1–4, and line I between Câmpuri Surduc and Gurasada is already in circulation. Currently, the works continue on the Câmpuri Surduc – Ilteu segment, where the embankments, the railway superstructure, bridges and footbridges are being made. Regarding the tunnels on this sector, the pole (T0) is completed, and approximately 350 meters of the T1 tunnel have been completed. Work on the small tunnel (T2) is at the beginning.
“On the sub-section 2c Ilteu – Gurasada, receptions were carried out at the end of the works for certain parts of the project, according to the legislation in force. These concern the PO Gurasada – Câmpuri Surduc interval, where embankment and superstructure works of the railway, consolidations, bridges and bridges, civil constructions, works on the contract line, protection of the installations on the track and in the vicinity, lighting of station ends and electrical works were completed. The works received totals 5.447 kilometers of railway and includes one stop, three railway level crossings, three bridges and seven footbridges”shows a report recently published by CFR.
Image 1/10:
The tunnels on the Arad Simeria railway Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (26) JPG
The investment started in 2017 aims at earthworks and consolidation works, the construction of 15 bridges (including two over the Mureș River), 17 footbridges, an overpass, three underpasses, two tunnels, civil works in four railway stations, electrification and power supply works and the implementation of the ERTMS traffic safety system (ETCS level 2+GSM-R). Completion of the works on the 22 kilometers is estimated for July 2027, according to CFR. The deadline has been postponed several times in recent years.
The tunnels, the last works on the Western highway
The works have not been completed on the other three sections of the future Simeria – Arad highway (KM 614). According to CFR estimates, approximately 119 kilometers would be completed in 2026, and approximately 22 kilometers in 2027. The total value of the works on the four sectors exceeds 9.8 billion lei.
Sub-section 2a (Km 614 – Bârzava), 41.9 kilometers long, is made by the association Webuild – FCC – Salcef – Hitachi Rail. The contract was signed in July 2017, and the estimated completion date is March 2026. The physical progress has reached almost 98%, and the investment value is 2.06 billion lei. Partial receptions were made on several segments, including between Km 614 and Păuliș.
Sub-section 2b (Bârzava – Ilteu) has 36 kilometers and is executed by the same association. The works have reached over 96%, with an estimated completion date of April 2026. The value of the contract is 2.29 billion lei, and several portions were received in 2025, including the segments Ilteu – Săvârșin and Vărădia – Bârzava Nouă.
Image 1/10:
The tunnels on the Arad Simeria railway Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (13) JPG
Sub-section 2c (Ilteu – Gurasada), 22.3 kilometers long, is made by the RailWorks association (Aktor – Alstom – Arcada). It is the most difficult sector of the project, with complex works on the Mureș valley and tunnels. The physical stage is about 82%, and the estimated completion date is July 2027. The value of the works is about 2.01 billion lei.
Section 3 (Gurasada – Simeria), of 40.9 kilometers, is executed by the association FCC – Webuild – Contratas y Ventas. The progress of the works has reached approximately 88%, and the estimated completion date is August 2026. The value of the investment is 3.44 billion lei. From November 2025, traffic was opened on line I of the new Ilia – Mintia variant.
On the new railway line, the route will be reconfigured and modernized so that the speed of trains can increase up to 160 kilometers per hour. The length and radius of the curves were increased, some curves were eliminated, the stability of the embankments was increased, and the level of the railway line in flood zones was raised. The plans included the construction of 60 kilometers of completely new route between Simeria and Arad, the construction of tunnels and the construction of nine bridges over Mureș, compared to the existing one on the old route, established in 1868, in Brănișca.
Also, nine railway stations will be modernized. Work on the Simeria Station, the largest of them, built in the 1900s, is nearing completion. Instead, the passenger building of the CFR Deva station was demolished without the necessary permits, and the work on the new station never started, the place of the partially demolished station being occupied by a huge crater.
